Ultraman: Rising

Giving this an 8/10 rating

This brilliant film is in the cinemas now, I watched it in one, this really caught me off guard, in a good way. Adapting these big Japanese characters is a very difficult task, and almost all fall, but thankfully, they decided to do this animated, and spend time on story and character. The animation, by ILM (Industrial Light and Magic) is best there is this year.

Three good animated films, this week, they are 'Inside Out 2, Deep Sea' and this. What a week for cinema! The directors Shannon Tindle and John Aoshima have done a clever looking film, some very good cinema photography and clean direction, makes things very pleasant. Shannon Tindle and Marc Haimes write a family story with three points of view, and you can debate on who is the real evil is, in this, so you can agree on motives or not.

To be clear, you don't have to know anything about 'Ultraman' to enjoy this, the design is sharp and colourful, dialogue is not wishy washy, and a great cast is held together by a soundtrack that punches along. A great watch in the cinema.

I am not really familiar with the Ultraman lore. I know he's a guy who can grow to the size of a monster and often fights against kaijus. There is some sort of Kaiju Defense Force that also fights kaijus. Somehow, this film becomes the story of Ultraman defending a kaiju baby from the KDF, which is ironic, but kind of fun.

However, the true strength (and weakness) of the movie is not in the monster battles, but in the story of a young man trying to juggle career, family, child raising and personal life at the same time. Did I want this in a Kaiju movie? Maybe not, but at the same time it was what gave the characters depth and the story emotional power.

Also, this is a kiddie film, designed to appeal to small children and their parents who, probably, try to juggle a lot of things too, so technically it was good product.

I saw this movie with one of my best friends and we were commenting, pausing and rewinding the movie all the time, so many details to see, so many memorable scenes to repeat.

From the beginning the protagonist seemed charismatic to me, despite being egocentric. Although of course, later we see the reason for his attitude, and it is easy to empathize with him.

In fact, it is easy to empathize with ALL the characters.

AND THE BABY, OH MY GOD, THE BABY. SHE IS REALLY ADORABLE. Every time she appeared on the screen my heart melted.

We had a very good time watching the movie, so much so that we are now watching it a second time, to capture as many details as possible.

It has become one of my favorites. An excellent movie.

I thought it was an alright movie. Its not very complicated and does a good job being an entertaining kids movie. It may not hold adults' attention the full way through, I personally only watched the first half before finishing the rest of the movie later while eating lunch. This was because the story is very predictable and the dialogue bland. However the animation is done well and the movie carries a good message for kids.

The main character as Ultraman didn't really intrigue me too much, but I get the sense the original Ultraman had a much different origin and I would've been interested in how the original came to be. The movie didn't really delve into that or how he got his powers. I'm assuming its all technology, but I could be wrong.

My family and I recently watched Ultraman: Rising (2024) on Netflix. The storyline follows a successful baseball player in Japan who is chosen to become the next Ultraman. As he battles a surge of monsters, he encounters a baby monster that he must care for until he can find a home for it. Meanwhile, a sinister villain emerges with a plot that threatens all of humanity.

The film is co-directed by Shannon Tindle and John Aoshima, who previously collaborated on Kubo and the Two Strings. The voice cast includes Christopher Sean (You), Tamlyn Tomita (The Day After Tomorrow), Gedde Watanabe (Sixteen Candles), and Hiro Nakamura.

This is one of those films with just enough good elements to make it worth watching, but not enough to be truly great. The animation and depiction of the universe are impressive, with both the monsters and Ultraman standing out. However, the characters were hit or miss. While I liked the hero and the villain, I wasn't as invested in the baby monster subplot. The villain's motivations were well-developed and justifiable. The "Gigantron" in the film reminded me of Rodan, and the final monster battle was solid, with a well-written resolution.

In conclusion, Ultraman: Rising features fantastic animation and enough elements of the monster universe to make it worth a watch. However, some aspects of the film, particularly the more child-oriented, cheesy moments, detract from its depth and quality. I would score this a 5.5-6/10 and only recommend it with the appropriate expectations.